


Betrothed

by Erratus



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-04-11 11:39:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19108912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erratus/pseuds/Erratus
Summary: Rayla didn't know if she should feel heartbreak or rage. It ended up as a combination of both. Callum talked about the human practice of arranged marriages before. It disgusted her. It would be one thing if Callum married a different woman out of love. It would hurt, but at least she could say that he would be happier that way. But this? Him marrying some women he doesn't like just so others can have political gain? No. Rayla couldn't accept that. No no no. She wouldn't let that happen to Callum.A story where Callum finds himself reluctantly betrothed for the sake of his kingdom, and Rayla is hellbent on stopping it. And possibly confessing her true feelings will she is at it.





	1. Decisions

Lava burbled beside them. The air was thick with heat and silence. Rayla had some choices to make.

"You can come stay with us," Ezran offered, but even he understood she couldn't. Not really. Callum watched sadly and it made her want to throw something.

"Do you think the elves will try to keep the peace? The queen can't be here to constantly police them," Callum's words were soft but spoke the harsh reality. They had talked about her moving to Katolis, becoming part of their family. As a sister, Ezran had suggested. Though Rayla had planned to confess her feelings for Callum at this point.

Now, she wasn't sure. Though both the queen of Xadia and the king of Katolis wanted peace, tensions at the Breach were high and he-said she-said conflicts were the norm. They needed people they could trust there are the Breach, to make sure they weren't acting out of line.

"I… I need to stay here," the words were bitter but there wasn't any other option. They worked too hard for the peace agreements. They needed to follow through. Both the brothers were disappointed. Even Callum, who had expected the answer.

"Will you come visit?" Ezran asked, pleaded really.

"When I can."

"We can write," Callum offered and Rayla smiled. That was more practical.

"Aye, I'll write you."

"But you still need to visit," Callum added. It hurt but they tried to be cheery. It hurt more to watch the brothers leave into Katolis. She stayed there in Xadia. Just until things settled. Then she could go to them. Then she would confess.

………..

Callum didn’t really likes balls. He had to dressed up in tight, uncomfortable clothes and was paraded around all night to people he barely knew. He had to be polite and talk to them, but be careful to not say anything that would cause trouble later. He always hated it. It was just one of the many things he was bad at.

Tonight, however, he knew it would be much worse. He watched the servants set up with idle fear. He was dressed in a new suit, filled with unnecessary details. He was still trying to figure out how to walk without looking like a penguin. All eyes would be on him. It was an annual ball to celebrate the harvest. But he just turned seventeen that summer. As soon as he turned eighteen, he could take a fiance. And every noble family on their half of the continent had made their offers. 

Everyone wanted to plant a voice in his ear, someone to sway him in critical moments. A wife. And Katolis was happy for the opportunity to form stronger alliances. It wouldn't be uncommon to receive massive amounts of aid as a wedding present from the bride's family. Essentially a dowery.

Being the most powerful nation, there would have been a lot of focus on Callum to begin with. But their peace negotiations with Xadia had left the rest of the pentarchy in fear and uncertainty. Everyone wanted an in to the negotiations. A wife to talk into Callum’s ear. Opeli was more than happy to start the bidding.

“You look miserable,” Claudia scooted next to him. Callum didn’t waste time in letting out a load groan.

“I am miserable. You know how I am with these things. And everyone is going to focus on me. I'm going to mess it up. I know it.”

“Well, maybe you’ll scare away some of your suitors,” Claudia snickered at him. “You do look very handsome though,” she added. Callum smiled but the compliment didn’t mean what it would have years ago.They were friends, but all the dark magic and betrayal had strained things considerably.

“At least I’ll have Opeli. She said that she would keep an eye on me,” though he didn’t know how much help she would be. She might parade him around more than protect him.

“Try to consider things. You’ll probably meet your future wife here. Talk to them, get to know them before you commit. This might be your only chance to,” Claudia advised. It wasn’t that she was wrong, but the thought just sent Callum deeper into his nervous despair. 

Before Callum could grumble out a response, he eyed a new addition. A boy, only thirteen, pulled a girl of about the same age, into the room. It was Anwir. He was part of a lessor family but had become close friends with Ezran. Though Callum had noticed that Ezran might have seen him as more than a friend. Which is why the girl he brought with him was… troubling.

Ezran was still in his room, fussing over his appearance. Which was unusual for him most of the time. But when it came to Anwir, Ezran put a lot of effort into looking his best. Then Callum saw Anwir peck the girl on her cheek, he knew he had to talk to Ezran. Suddenly his own issues for the night were forgotten.

“I’m going to go check on Ezran,” Callum excused himself. He didn’t wait for Claudia to say anything. He was too distracted by Anwir showing his date around. He went up the stairs and dragged his feet to Ezran’s room. He knew he would have to talk to him soon. With Harrow gone he would be responsible for such talks. But he hoped it would be at a better time, under better circumstances.

He knocked on his brother’s door. “Hey Ez, it’s me. Can I come in?” He could hear mad fluttering and thuds before the door swung open.

“Perfect! I need your opinion on something,” his little brother ran across the room and Callum closed the door behind himself. “Which looks better?” Ezran held up two suits.

“Dad always said I should wear red and gold, because they are our family colors. But the blue in this one goes with my eyes,” he shoved a white and blue outfit against himself. He stared intently at Callum. Bait croaked in the background.

“Ug, you’re not helping,” Ezran shot to his animal friend. Callum took a deep breath. He couldn’t let his brother go down there and see Anwir for himself. 

“Red and gold. It’s the family colors and they look good,” Callum gestured to his own lavish red and gold suit. Ezran frowned but Callum didn’t let him continue. “Hey, Ezran, we do need to talk about something else.”

“Can’t it wait? Anwir is going to be here soon and I told him that I would-”

“It’s important Ezran, trust me,” Callum gave him a firm look and Ezran got the message. He set aside the suits and gave his brother his full attention. “You’re going to be thirteen in a few months, and that means that you’re growing up. Literally,” Callum gestured to Ezran’s increasingly long legs. His little brother just looked confused and Callum tried to think of how to carry on the topic.

“Remember when I was your age?” He asked and Ezran’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah, your were super weird,” he giggled.

“And that’s when I got my crush on Claudia. And that made me act even more weird,” Callum added and Ezran looked thoughtful.

“Oh yeah. You would follow her around but never actually said anything,” Ezran’s giggles turned into full laughter. Callum shook off the rising embarrassment at the memories. 

“When you begin to grow up, you get those kinds of feelings. Feelings for people that you want to be more than just friends with. It’s normal, and it’s good even. Those feelings are special, even if they make you act kind of weird. But, Ez,” he sighed and looked at his brother. Ezran was taking in his words thoughtfully. The next part would be the hardest, for the both of them.

“Those feelings need to be protected. You need to only let them grow with someone that will cherish them. If someone doesn’t have those feelings back, you need to let them go. Understand?”

“Um, I guess. But I still don’t know why you needed to say this now,” Ezran inquired and Callum frowned. 

“Anwir brought a girl with him, and I think he has those special feelings towards her,” Callum said softly. Ezran’s eyes went from confusion, to surprise, to disappointment.

“Oh,” was all he said. Callum wrapped his brother in a tight hug.

“You have so much love to give Ezran. Give it to someone who will give it all back,” Callum said before pulling out of the hug. Ezran still looked like he ate a bug. “I’m going to go downstairs. You come down whenever you want. Or not at all. I’ll keep Opeli off your back,” Callum offered as he made to leave the room.

“Thanks, Callum,” Ezran’s soft voice traveled to him.

“No problem Ez. I love you,” Callum assured his brother before leaving him to his thoughts. He sighed after closing the door but didn’t get a moment’s rest.

“At least you seem to be ready,” Opeli’s voice was thick with frustration.

“Yep! All dressed up in this thing,” Callum gestured to the layers of brightly colored clothes. “But Ezran isn’t feeling well. He might be a while.” Opeli cocked an eyebrow.

“He seemed fine an hour ago.”

“Yeah, he didn’t want to brother anyone. But hey, you got me to parade around,” Callum tried to bargain. Opeli didn’t seem convinced. Callum rested against Ezran’s door. “Look, he’s not feeling good. Just let him come out when he’s ready. Do you really want the new king of Katolis to be a mess in front of the rest of the pentarchy? Besides, everyone wants to see me tonight anyway,” Callum instinctively took on a protective posture outside the door. Opeli cracked a smile.

“That’s all fair enough. An absent king is better than a drunk king, as they say. And besides, I know better than to push Ezran when you get like this,” she chuckled and Callum deflated some.

“Like what?” He asked as they begun walking back to the ball.

“Protective. You’re a good big brother, that’s all I’m saying. Now,” she turned and fussed with his outfit just before they reached the party. “Try to show people that you would be a good husband too,” she said and he balked. 

“You knew this was coming. Keep an open mind and try to pick a few favorites,” she patted him on the back and ushered him into the party. Instantly all eyes fell on him and he cringed. It was time to pick a wife.

………...

It was decidedly the worst birthday that Callum ever had.

“Callum, you are eighteen now. You can take a wife, and if you don’t pick one soon there _will be_ civil unrest,” Opeli voice was firm. She spent the last year nagging him to pick and now his time was up and her patience was gone. Callum groaned and eyed the stack of letters in front of him. All from various major and lesser houses offering up their daughters. 

He carefully shuffled through them, trying to put faces to the names.

“What about an elf? Did he get any offers from Xadia?” Ezran asked with mild hope. Opeli shook her head.

“The elves don’t do arranged marriages it seems,” Opeli explained. It wasn’t the first that either of them heard that. But a marriage with Xadia would certainly strength that weary bond.

“That’s what Rayla said. She was actually pretty shocked by it,” Callum mused, flipping through the proposals. “They need to actually like you, not just your title,” he grumbled with some bitterness. He always knew he would have an arranged marriage. But he didn’t realize just how stressful it would be. There he was, trying to pick a _life partner_ from a few formal letters and vague memories of brief encounters. 

“Maybe Rayla will marry you,” Ezran suggested with a jelly tart in hand. Callum’s snapped his stare at his little brother. For a moment, he was mystified by the idea. Then, he laughed.

“I don’t think that Rayla would go for that,” he said between laughs. He wondered if he should include that in his next letter to her. 

“Why not?” Ezran pouted. Callum was about to answer but Opeli beat him to it.

“ _We_ wouldn’t go for that. She’s one of the assassins that killed our last king, _your father_ ,” Opeli’s tone made it clear that there was no debate. Ezran still wouldn’t take it.

“She didn’t killed dad though. She tried to save him.”

“She was part of the team sent to kill him, that’s what matters. Besides, this marriage is a chance to strengthen our relationship with other human kingdoms while we negotiate peace with Xadia. They are already panicked enough as it. If Callum marries an elf it could separate us from the rest of the pentarchy,” Opeli finished her lecture. Ezran didn’t seem to be done, but Callum found one proposal that caught his eye.

“Hey, how about Aelwen? She wasn’t that bad,” Callum brought the proposal letter to the top of the stack. She was from a lessor house in Del Bar. She thought that magic was weird and hated elves, but liked to draw and was nice to humans at least. Opeli sighed.

“Her family doesn’t have much influence. How about someone with more power?” Opeli encouraged, but Callum deflated.

“Why don’t you take out all the proposals that _you_ don't like,” Callum huffed but Opeli was happy to do so. She began rifling through them. She didn’t bother to look at anything but the family symbol. She started to pull out a few of them and when she got to the end she pushed the bulk of them aside. She offered three proposals to Callum.

“I am simply an advisor, and this choice is entirely yours. But I would strongly suggest picking from one of these three,” she said in a way that made it clear that it wasn’t Callum’s choice at all. More and more he felt like a prize goat being auctioned off to the highest bidder.

“Aeres of Duren, Awsta of Neolandia, or Mabli of a lessor house in Katolis,” Opeli listed off and she dropped the papers in front of him. “I would have also considered someone from Del Bar, but they didn’t have any appropriately aged women in the ruling family.

“So I get to pick one of these three women to be my wife?” Callum tried to remember the women. Mabli he knew, and he knew he disliked her. Their family was generally antagonistic towards his, and she in particular couldn’t put aside politics. It was probably an attempt to make peace with the family, but all Callum could see was fifty years of constant fighting and berating.

That left Aeres, Aanya’s cousin, or Awsta, of whom he hadn’t seen in ten years. 

“Ezran, do you have any thoughts of your future wife? It’ll be a while, but it would be best if you two marry different houses,” Opeli mused idly. Callum stiffened and Ezran winced. Ezran got over his crush on Anwir fast enough. The topic hadn’t come up again and Callum wasn’t sure how much Ezran wanted a wife of any house. 

“Um, Opeli? Would it be okay if I marry a boy instead?” Ezran asked and it was Opeli’s turned to freeze. It took a moment, but she finally found words again.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t be happy with a girl?” Her words were firm, in a way that meant it wasn’t a question, it was a demand.

“I don’t think so,” Ezran frowned and looked down. Callum couldn’t stop himself from intervening.

“You can pick anyone for me to marry. Just, when it comes time, let Ezran take a husband,” Callum tried to barter. Opeli sighed.

“We need heirs, Callum,” some sympathy wormed its way into her voice. But not enough.

“And I can give you heirs,” Callum pressed but Opeli frowned.

“Callum… I’m afraid you can’t do that,” her words were slow. She didn’t want to say it. He was a step-prince, which was why he wasn’t considered an heir himself. He was an accessory to the royal family, not a part of it.

“The queens of Duren had a daughter, and she took the throne. Ezran can do the same.”

“The queens of Duren had massive civil unrest that lead to famines and ultimately their demise. And their daughter has faced assassination attempts and coups for her entire life. They are an example not to follow,” Opeli’s tone was firm. Both the brothers shrunk down in their seats.

“I guess neither of us will marry who we want,” Ezran muttered with defeat.

“I at least like girls,” Callum wouldn’t let his little brother be forced into marrying the wrong gender. “Look, you can marry me off to anyone, just, when it comes time for Ezran, consider men too, okay?” Ezran looked between Opeli and Callum. They both looked firm, unmoving. Finally, Opeli sighed.

"Alright, when it comes time to betrothe Ezran, I'll _consider it_. We can re-evaluate the social conditions in a few years. In the meantime, I suggest you pick Awsta,” Opeli brought them back to the current wedding. Callum was still uneasy about the vagueness of the agreement. But he didn’t dare push Opeli. He’d marry whoever she wanted if it was for his brother.

“Okay, Awsta. I think I remember who she is,” he held the letter and tried to remember her. It was years ago since he saw any of royal family from Neolandia.

“Good. Are you your ready to be betrothed to her?” Opeli asked and Callum swallowed. No, he wasn’t. But his top pick wasn’t that great anyway, and if going along with it could help Ezran in the future, he would.

“Yes, I am,” he lied through his teeth. “Do we have an idea of when?” He cringed as he asked.

“Winter,” she said matter of factly. 

“This winter?” Ezran cut in. He had been watching the conversation with weary and sorry eyes until then.

“Yes, it’s best not to wait with these things. Is that acceptable, prince Callum?” Opeli and Ezran looked to him. He held the proposal to wed him to Awsta. He read over the formal letter, and accepted his fate.

“Yeah. This winter,” he agreed.


	2. Time Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She left the letter and the food without a thought. She went straight to the Janai's office with only one thought on her mind. She needed to stop that wedding.

Rayla didn’t like her job. In fact, she hated it. The only reason she did it was because so few elves could be trusted to keep the peace.

Returning Zym hadn’t gone the smoothest. A lot of people thought of her as a traitor. Naturally, they didn’t think much better of Callum. Thankfully the dragon queen, Zym’s mother, only saw two hero that brought her son. She pardoned Rayla of all crimes, but also personally requested that she monitor the Breach. So, while she hated her job, she at least wasn’t dead.

 

“We lost two soldiers in the ambush. Another three were wounded,” Amaya’s fist crashed onto the table when she was done signing. Gren gave words to her signs. Rayla was stuck in a hot, tiny room at the Breach, serving as a brokerage of peace between people who didn't want it.

 

“It was unauthorized. All military actions are run by me, and I didn’t hear anything of it,” she tried to plead with the angry human general. Rayla wasn’t a patient woman, nor was she particularly tactful. She wasn’t good at her job. The only reason she was doing it was because she wanted peace.

 

“People died. I can’t accept a simple apology. I need to know this isn’t going to happen again next week,” Amaya was fierce. Still, she was agreeable, and tried to work with Rayla. She suspected that was only because of Ezran and Callum’s will. But some days she dared to think that the general had grown fond of Rayla as well.

 

“What do you suggest I do about it?” Rayla asked it in earnest.

 

“Give us those who attacked us,” Gren continued to translate. Rayla frowned. She knew the elves wouldn’t like that.

 

“We don’t know who exactly they are, and we can’t just trust you to take anyone,” Rayla tried to explain. Amaya’s gaze was unwavering.

 

“We need action,” was all she replied.

 

“Okay, how about a joint tribunal?”

 

“All the elves are just going to argue for innocence. It would be a joke,” Amaya was clearly losing what little patience she had. Rayla lost all of hers years ago.

 

“It won’t be. I’ll hand pick the elves and make sure they are good people. If you aren’t happy with the result, you can come back to me,” Rayla tried to barter. To make compromises between two sides that only wanted to kill the other. Amaya shared a look with Gren before nodding.

 

“I hope that you can find enough elves that care about justice,” Amaya began to leave. Before she did, she dug through her pocket and handed Rayla a rolled up piece of paper. She simply signed ‘ _mail_ ’ before leaving. Rayla eagerly took the paper. A wide grin spread across her face and she retreated to the Xadian side of the Breach.

 

There was only one human she got mail from. Well, two really, but Callum and Ezran often sent it as one letter. Actually it was usually all in Callum’s scrawl, though he would pass along things Ezran wanted to say to her.

 

She didn’t confess to Callum when they parted. Part of her wished she did, but part of her was glad she didn’t. She had to stay at the Breach and he had to go back to the castle. It would be too much to confess just to be seperated like that. Though she was considering taking time off for their winter celebrations. And maybe, if it felt right, she would confess then.

 

She ducked through the halls and dodged various sunfire elves. She reported the conclusions of her meeting to Janai as quickly as possible. Then, she grabbed a plate of food and moonberry juice from the kitchen. It was a ritual, whenever she got a letter. Their letters weren’t important enough to be carried by crow, so they ended up taking weeks to get to their destination. It resulted in the letters being a rare treat. Ones that Rayla cherished dearly. She didn’t like to be interrupted, or be hurried when reading them.

 

She slipped into her room and let her smile grow into a goofy grin. Her room was small, to say the least. It was a bed and a writing desk, with barely any extra room. But the fact that she had a private room at such a militarized area spoke volumes to her status.

 

She went to the writing desk, laid down her food and drink and carefully unfurled the scowl. She  chewed on a biscuit as she read the stories about Ezran trying to be king, the weird dark magic stuff Claudia was up to, and the latest of Soren’s stupidity. She had her own letter being written right beside it.

 

Her eyes moved to the next paragraph and, in that moment, it felt as if her heart dropped into her stomach.

 

_I also have some pretty big news. I wasn't allowed to talk about it before, you know how Opeli can get with political secrets. But I'm getting married! Yay! Her name is Awsta, and she's from Neolandia. I actually haven't seen her since we were little kids. Remember way long ago, before Zym even hatched, and I explained how we did arranged marriages? It's that. As soon as I turned eighteen I had to pick a wife. Literally that day, it sucked. But everyone is weary about making peace with Xadia and Opeli said this would help the other humans get on board._

 

_Well, the wedding is this winter, December 18th. But guests will start showing up as soon as the 11th, depending on how much ass they want to kiss. I hope that you can get enough time off to be there for at least a few days. I hear my aunt is constantly giving you trouble. But she'll definitely be here for the wedding, so you'll at least get a break from her._

 

_But enough about me, tell me how things are at the Breach. At least summer is over, so things should be cooling down, right?_

 

_Your friend forever,_

_Callum_

 

Rayla didn't know if she should feel heartbreak or rage. It ended up as a combination of both. Callum talked about the human practice of arranged marriages before. It disgusted her. It would be one thing if Callum married a different woman out of love. It would hurt, but at least she could say that he would be happier that way.

 

But this? Him marrying some women he didn’t like just so others could have political gain? No. Rayla couldn't accept that. No no no. She wouldn't let that happen to Callum.

 

She left the letter and the food without a thought. She went straight to the Janai's office with only one thought on her mind. She needed to stop that wedding.

 

"I need time off," Rayla didn't bother with introductions. Janai winced at the sudden interruption.

 

"When and for how long?" Came the exasperated response.

 

"Now, til the end of the year." Janai balked at the request.

 

"That's a quarter of the year! You just agreed to set up a joint tribunal, you can't just be gone for three months," her general glared. Rayla pondered it. Her job was important, to broker peace. There was always a million things to do and she couldn't just disappear for three months. She was called to do it because so few elves were so invested in making peace, and it was such a critical job. She was on the front lines, serving as a referee.

 

"You're right, I can't just leave for that long," she said, though she wasn't put off.

 

"After the tribunal, you can take a couple weeks, how about that?" Janai offered but Rayla shook her head.

 

"No, I'm still leaving now. But I won't ever be back. I quit," Rayla decided with a nod.

 

Things were different than they were when she started. Over the years she had won over some elves and even humans. People were accepting the goal of peace and they had learned, albeit wearily, how to cooperate with humans. They could find someone to replace her, and she could be confident that they would do a good job. Better, probably.

 

"What? Rayla, you can't-"

 

"I can and I did. I'll be gone by tomorrow morning," she Ieft the office and went back to her room. She didn't have much to pack and it easily all fit in a travel bag. She quickly gulped down her meal and tucked the letter in her bag. Then, she returned to the bridge that connected Xadia with Katolis.

 

She took a few weary steps across the bridge. On the other side were the human kingdoms, and more immediately, human guards. Lots of them. The Breach was far from demilitarized. Rayla crossed slowly, in plain sight and with no weapons drawn. She trusted not to be attacked, but only if she made it clear that she wouldn’t hurt anyone either.

 

“What’s your business,” a guard asked carefully.

 

“I want to enter Katolis.”

 

“Why?” He sneered at the idea. He might not like it, but Rayla had enough clout to get through. Even if she had to talk with Amaya first, they couldn’t keep her out.

 

“To visit a friend,” she had a royal decree from Ezran on hand. She was allowed to travel Katolis freely. Though actually doing so was another matter.

 

“Send her to Amaya,” another guard suggested. Exactly as Rayla predicted, but Amaya wouldn’t keep her out either.

 

“Come elf, you’ll need to see our general,” he beckoned her and another two guards followed her. It didn’t seem like peace, but the fact they were even talking to her spoke volumes about how far they had come.

 

“Rayla, what is it? Did you find those sunfire elves?” Amaya greeted her through Gren. It wasn’t exactly warm, but it was professional.

 

“No, I’m turning the investigation over. I want to pass into Katolis, to visit Callum,” She explained. The imposing woman seemed confused and she pulled out her most recent letter. “He’s getting married soon, I’m sure you’ve heard,” Rayla waved the damned paper around.

 

“The wedding is months away.”

 

“Yeah, well, I’ve been meaning to visit him for a while now anyway,” she said. It wasn’t much of an answer but she gave Amaya her own imposing stare. There was silence for a long moment. “You can’t keep me out,” she stated plainly. Amaya frowned, but nodded.

 

“No, I cannot,” she stood aside and gestured to the gates of the human fort. The ones that lead into the rest of Katolis. Rayla moved towards them. “But I will warn you, if you do anything to ruin the wedding, it will be bad for you,” Amaya warned. Rayla smiled.

 

“I won’t do anything, I promise,” she lied through her teeth. She was going to do whatever she could to ruin that wedding. She could deal with Amaya later. She didn’t wait for a reply. Rayla left the fort and went on her way. She had a lot of ground to cover, and didn’t want to waste any time. She had three months to stop that wedding.

 

……….

 

She kept away from villages and roads. She had a royal decree from the king himself, but when it came to elves a lot of humans preferred to attack first and shuffle through paperwork later. So she only found trouble when she actually get to the city. She kept her hood up for most of the journey through the outer city. Between that and moving fast no one noticed her. Or at least no one pursued her or screamed about an elf.

 

“Halt, who goes there?” The castle guard commended. Guards really weren’t that original with their questions. With one hand hovering over her blade, the other one dropped her hood.

 

“Elf!” Followed by the sound of swords being drawn. She freed her own two blades and everyone went still. Five guards, none of who seemed ready to take the first charge.

 

“You’re not suppose to be attacking elves without provocation anymore,” she chided casually though her blood was still racing. She was ready for battle, if it came down to it. “I’m Rayla. Old friend of King Ezran and Callum.” The guards seem to relax a bit at her claim. Or at least divert some of their energy into confusion.

 

“Inform the king at once,” one guard yelled to another and he disappeared. Four guards and one elf remained, locked in dead silence.

 

“What is this? Stand down! She’s a friend!” Rayla didn’t recognize the voice right away, but then she saw him. Ezran. Taller and with a somewhat deeper voice. Still distinctly a kid though.

 

“Ezran!” She cheered and ran for the boy. The guards lurched but Ezran called them off with a final wave. They hugged without Rayla getting stabbed. “You’ve grown so much,” she mused at the boy who was quickly catching up to her own height. His face was quickly dropping its baby fat as well, and was starting to chisel into the shape a man’s face. Rayla, herself, had changed over the years too. It was more subtle than Ezran’s, but her face also matured a bit and her body continued to build shapely curves.

 

“I missed you! You should have visited sooner. Bait missed you too,” he added and beckoned her inside the castle walls. The crown guard followed and kept a close eye on her. “So much has changed, I’m king now, though Callum and Opeli still help me a lot. Bait’s grown a bit, and we started making moonberry jellytarts,” Ezran listed off things. Rayla smiled at just how familiar it all was. Ezran might be a little bit taller but he was still just Ezran.

 

“I wonder where Callum is. He’ll be super excited to see you,” Ezran looked down in thought. “I wonder if he is still with Cadwy. Oh! Did you hear! He’s getting married this winter,” Ezran said the last part in a hushed whisper, as though it was a secret. Maybe it still was.

 

“I did. Why I came actually,” she tried to keep the anger out of her voice. Maybe she didn’t do a good job though, because Ezran leaned in closer and continued.

 

“It’s to the one of the princesses of Neolandia, the oldest one," he explained, as though it should mean something to her.

 

"Why are we whispering?"

 

"I don't think he's excited for it," Ezran said back, still in a hushed voice. Rayla fought the grin. Good. He shouldn't be.

 

"Why's he doing it then?" She asked. Ezran flustered at it and looked down. He didn't say anything and it seemed to be the end of the conversation.

 

"He has to. I guess it's something we'll both need to do." He said it so sadly, Rayla knew there had to be more to it. But she didn't press, not right then.

 

"How about some food? You must be hungry," Ezran offered as they returned to normal voices. He lead them to the kitchen, where a shocked looking chef stared wide eyed at the pair.

 

"My king, I didn't realize we had, uh, _visitors_ ," he said in a way that clearly showed he was uncomfortable with an elf guest.

 

"We do! This is Rayla. She's my friend. Make her whatever she wants," he explained with a surprising amount of patience. The chef glared.

 

"I don't know what elves eat," he said simply.

 

"Same stuff as humans. I heard something about a moonberry jelly tart," she suggested, mostly for Ezran's benefit. The king flashed a wide smile and lead her to a table containing pastries. She picked up one of the odd triangle pastries and took a bite. It was too sweet for her but she still ate it. She would need to get some proper food later.

 

"Come on, you can stay in one of the spare rooms in our wing," he prattled as he pulled her through the castle and up the stairs. "We have a whole wing for guest rooms, but you're like family. You can stay with us," he said, completely assured in this decision. As if someone was arguing with him. Someone probably would, later on.

 

Ezran stopped in front of a door and banged on it. "Callum, are you in there?" Ezran punctuated it with more bangs. Rayla stiffened, not quite ready to talk with the prince. "Hm. I'm not suppose to be entering his room like this after he is married, but that's not for another few months, so…" Ezran trailed off as he pushed the heavy door open.

 

Rayla tried to ignore the implications of the increased privacy. Instead, she took in the room. She'd never seen his room before but she found it oddly intimate. A drawing desk, book shelves, a luxurious bed. Certainly more bigger than her room at the Breach. She moved to his drawing desk and her heart fluttered. It was her, in color. Perched on a boulder under the moonlight, looking confident and mischievous all at once.

 

"He likes to draw you," Ezran commented from beside her. "Says that you are good to draw, but I think that he likes you," he teased. She blushed but tried to look casual.

 

"What's not to like? Though I think I'm also good to draw," she flustered. Ezran snickered and lead her out of the room.

 

"Come on. You can stay here," he opened a door right across the hall. The room was similarly big and luxurious but devoid of personal effects

 

"He's probably in that meeting still,” Ezran commented. Rayla wandered in and dropped her stuff.

 

“And why aren’t you with him? Aren’t you supposed to be king?” She teased.

 

“It’s not one of those meetings. It’s, uh, about marriage stuff?” He said with a shrug. “They said I shouldn’t be there,” Ezran hummed with minimal interested. Rayla didn’t know if she should laugh or balk. It was probably some sex education, or similar, if Ezran wasn’t allowed in.

 

“I’m glad you’re here Rayla, but, are you going to be able to be here for the wedding too? It’ll be a lot of fun. I don’t know about elf weddings, but human wedding are huge parties with dancing and cake and songs,” Ezran rattled off.

 

“I plan to be staying for the wedding,” she sat down on her new bed. It was much more comfy than the one at the Breach.

 

“A whole three months?”

 

“I’m guessing you guys could use some help with the wedding. And maybe a friend too,” she said smoothly. Ezran smiled.

 

“Uhg, yes. The council is going crazy, and everyone else is upset that he isn’t marrying their daughter. It’s awful. I hope it isn’t going to be this bad when I get married, but Opeli says that it will probably be even worse,” Ezran griped.

 

“So you’re going to do this arranged marriage thing too?” Ezran blinked at the question, as though it didn’t make sense.

 

“Well, yeah. What else would I do?” Rayla frowned. Was marrying for love that unheard of?

 

“Oh, I don’t know. Marry someone that you actually like?”

 

“Callum tried that, but Opeli said no,” Ezran sighed a bit. Another sad looked flitted across his face.

 

“Oh? Who did he want to marry?” She muttered, trying to sound casual. It was probably Claudia, but her heart was still beating wildly.

 

“Mmh, I don’t remember her name. A girl from Del Bar. There was a ball a year ago where a bunch of families tried to show off their daughters and Callum said that she wasn’t bad.”

 

“But did he actually like her?” She asked and Ezran shrugged.

 

“I don’t know. She seemed nice when they met,” Ezran said and Rayla took that as a ‘no’.

 

“Nevermind, just send Callum my way when he’s done, alright? I’m going to unpack,” She turned to her bag and opened it.

 

“Alright Rayla,” Ezran sounded distant, maybe a bit uncertain. For a moment he lingered, then his arms were around her in a tight embrace. One that she happily returned. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

 

“Me too. I should have came a lot sooner,” she meant her words. Ezran left her with a final wave and she started to unpack and explore her room. She should have confessed. She should have drilled it into Callum’s head that arranged marriages were wrong long ago. But she didn’t, and she had some catching up to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this fic will be updated every Wednesday. Thanks to my beta reader Porscheczar110 and hope that you enjoyed it.
> 
> Please feel free to tell me what kind of stuff you want to see. I have the big picture for the plot down, but a lot of smaller interactions are still up in the air.


	3. Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I need to do it for my family Rayla. Maybe you don’t understand because you don’t have one, but I do,” Callum stood and legitimately yelled. His stare was hard and dark, his chest heaved with huffs of air. He was angry. Truly angry. “I hoped that you could be here for me during this happy time.”

Callum took a moment to just breathe. He just got out of his meeting, which was long and painful. It covered fun topics such as ' _Don't sleep with your fiance_ ', ' _Why Del Bar is being pissy_ ', and ' _How to sleep with your wife_ '.

 

"Jelly tart?" Ezran offered from beside him. Callum flinched, not even realizing he was there. He took the offered sweet and happily munched it. The meeting caused him to skip lunch and he needed food.

 

"Everything is awful Ez. I just want to get married and be done with it. It's all about the wedding, how to treat guests, how to treat the women that I'm not marrying, what to do _after_ the wedding," he shuddered at that conversation. "I guess Del Bar is upset. They had a princess marry Viren, but they divorced and he is disposed so they want another tie. But they didn't have anyone of age for me to marry, so what do they want?"

 

Ezran chuckled. He seemed to be in an inexplicably good mood. “I’m glad it wasn’t me dealing with them this time,” his brother said and Callum was sure he meant it. Ezran had enough politics to deal with as is.

 

“Yeah, well, at least I’m a ladies man now. Half the women of the pentarchy want to get with me. Or at least their parents want them too,” he added with renewed frustration. Callum suspected that all those women were in the same spot as him. Just being offered up to grease the wheels of the right person.

 

“At least you get to marry a girl. I don’t think anyone will want their son to marry me,” Ezran's blue eyes turned dark and Callum was reminded of just why he was doing this.

 

“Hey, if I get to marry a woman that they choose, you get to marry a man they choose. That’s the deal.”

 

“Are you sure about that Callum? Opeli didn’t seem very sure.”

 

“Hey, she said she would look into it. You know that she doesn’t just give us lip service. You’re the king after all. Besides, if no one offers their sons to you, that just means whoever you end up marrying wants to actually marry you,” Callum tried to cheer him up. It sounded nice. Awsta was due to come to Katolis soon and somehow Callum didn’t expect her to be excited either.

 

“I hope,” Ezran muttered and looked away. Then an idea seemed to strike him and his eyes shimmered with excitement. “There is a surprise for you! It’s upstairs, in the room across from yours,” Ezran tugged at his arms and pulled him along and across the castle.

 

“A surprise? From who? What is it?”

 

“It’s a _surprise_ Callum, that means I can’t tell you.”

 

“Well, can you at least tell me who it is from?” Callum asked but Ezran just laughed.

 

“It’s from a friend.”

 

“That’s not very helpful,” Callum muttered.

 

“I can’t tell you who, that would ruin the surprise,” Ezran stopped and gestured to the door across from Callum’s. He looked at it wearily, still trying to decide if this was going to end with wet socks or not. Ezran was rocking on the balls of his feet. “Come on, it’s nothing bad,” Ezran sighed, getting too excited.

 

“Alright, I hope it’s good. I need something good today,” Callum pushed open the door and looked around. There wasn’t anything there. Except…

 

He slunk into the room and looked at an empty travel bag thrown on the ground. It was fairly beat up and smelled funny from its long journeys.

 

“I was expecting a bit more,” he mumbled as he picked up the bag.

 

“What? But she was just here? Where did she go?” Ezran ran into the room and looked around frantically.

 

“Who was?” Callum asked idly, handling the bag. It did smell, like smoke and sulfur. The Breach.

 

“You know you shouldn’t be barging into rooms like that,” a thick accent sounded from behind them. Right behind them, closer than a person should have been able to sneak.

 

“Rayla!” Callum yelled in half recognition, half surprise. He flopped forward and almost landed on the bed. Almost. Instead he hit his head on the cushioned furniture and landed on the ground with a ‘ _thud_ ’.

 

……………….

 

Rayla was proud of herself. Not only was she able to sneak around the brothers and get right behind them, she got a good jump out of Callum. It felt nice to hear him say her name, but better to hear him yell it.

 

“Is that you?” The surprised prince asked after he rolled into his back. Rayla took a moment to study him. He had certainly grown. He seemed to be almost the same height as before, but his shoulders were broader and his face was chiseled. He had definition where there was none. He was, well, damn handsome. Ezran snickered from the side.

 

“Looks like you are both surprised,” she felt like defending herself, but there was nothing to say. Instead she quickly looked to the side and tried to pretend that she wasn’t gawking.

 

“Yeah, it’s me dummy,” she grabbed Callum’s hand and pulled him up. A bright smile spread across his face and he pulled her into a hug.

 

“It’s you! What are you doing here? I thought that you were super busy?” He sounded so happy. _I heard that I needed to beat some sense into you. I came as fast as I could._ That's what she wanted to say but she knew better.

 

"I've been long overdue for a visit," she hugged him back tightly. Was he always that thick? They were still the same height but he just seemed bigger. Not fatter, but just wider. The scrawny body of a teenager gave way to a masculine form.

 

"But you didn't mention this in your letters," he pulled back and looked at her. His green eyes seemed to glow. She shouldn't have left him. She vowed never to do it again. The Breach would be fine without her.

 

"Hey Rayla, you said that you were here to help with the wedding. But we only just told you about it in our last letter," Ezran noted, starting to put things together. Callum furrowed his brows, following suit.

 

"I guess you're really excited to see me get married off," Callum joked. He gave a laugh that was too bitter, too sad. He didn't want this.

 

"I'm really something about you marrying some girl you don't even know," she joked back in the same tone. She hoped Callum would break, would admit how awful the idea was. He didn't.

 

"Yeah, you weren't super into the idea of arranged marriages three years ago. I guess that hasn't changed," he sighed and rolled his eyes. Rayla pressed her lips together and tried to think of something tactful to say. Instead awkward silence settled over them.

 

"Hey, how about some dinner?" Ezran's cheery voice broke the quiet. "I bet you're both hungry."

 

"Aye, haven't had proper food in weeks." Rayla confessed, happy for the change in topic.

 

"Oh yeah, I've been in that damn meeting all day," Callum threw his head back, showing off his Adam's apple and beginnings of stubble. He really had grown.

 

……….

 

" _This_ is what you guys normally eat?" Rayla frowned at the plates in front of her. Chicken, bread sticks, buns, chicken again, and a side of jelly tarts.

 

"Uh, yeah?" Callum answered, roll halfway to his mouth. Correction, roll slathered with butter.

 

"It's good," Ezran argued with nothing but chicken on his plate.

 

"I'm sure…" She pursed her lips. It was a wonder they didn't spend half the day I'm the bathroom. "But you know what else is good? Plants."

 

"Hey, wheat's a plant," Callum said after he swallowed a bite of his butter sandwich.

 

"How about _green_ plants? No wonder you aren't any taller than me, Callum. And Ezran, you're going to be a pudgy king if you keep eating like this," she scolded and both the boys seemed mildly ashamed.

 

"Alright, we can do that. Right Callum?" Ezran said, smiling at his brother. Callum didn't look quite as happy.

 

"Yeah. I guess we can," he gave his roll one final sad look before Ezran beckoned in the chef.

 

"Rayla thinks we should eat more veggies," Ezran told the servant. The chef scowled and shot a glare at Rayla. It was the same man from earlier that day. Didn't seem to like Rayla much. Oh well. "Maybe you can make some for us. The green stuff."

 

"Of course, your majesty," he bowed and started to leave. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought the prince Callum was due to marry that one. What with the sudden insistence in eating healthy." He gave a final hard stare at the elf. Rayla tried not to blush at the comment.

 

Ezran chuckled but then his eyes glimmered with a memory. "I actually suggested that we arrange for Callum to marry you," Ezran said casually. Rayla flustered and Callum sputtered. Her heart picked up and she dared to glance at Callum across the table. He didn't look much more composed than her.

 

"Uh, yeah, it was a thought. Lots of thoughts about lots of different things that day," Callum tried desperately to will the sudden awkwardness away. "But Opeli said it would look bad, marrying you. Considering, you know, how we met and all…" Callum trailed off. Rayla frowned. That was true, many people in Katolis blamed her for Harrow's death.

 

"Yeah, that would be a delicate arrangement," Rayla agreed with a twinge of sadness. No doubt his advisors wouldn't be happy with her destroying the wedding. They would be even less happy with her marrying him instead.

 

"Vegetables, for the elf," the chef said as he re-entered the room. He brought with him carrots, mushrooms, and spinach. Though he seemed to use liberal amounts of oil cooking them, Rayla found herself happy enough.

 

"These mushrooms are actually pretty good," Ezran decided. Callum picked at the carrots, seemingly accepting them as well.

 

"I hope it meets your standards, _princess_ ," Callum teased and Rayla rolled her eyes.

 

"I'm an assassin, I need to treat my body right. And you should too," she accused. He shrugged and took another bite of carrots.

 

"Not really an assassin anymore, are you," he asked. His voice was casual but his eyes were serious. The topic was a heavy one.

 

"No, I suppose I'm not," she admitted. The thought was unsettling. She was always training to be an assassin. What else would she be?

 

"I think it's a good thing. You make peace, so people don't have to die," Callum was quick to assure her.

 

"Yeah, and you were suppose to assassinate me," Ezran pointed out. "Imagine if you actually did!"

 

"I try not to," she chuckled as she tried to shake the hypothetical away.

 

"So, what's it like over there? At the Breach I mean," Callum seemed eager to hear her talk about it but Rayla just groaned. Ezran also leaned forward.

 

“It’s really hot and dry. And angry. Everyone is mad all the time. It’s my job to talk them down from doing something stupid. But I’m usually angry and wanting to do something stupid too,” she didn’t mean for it turn into a rant, but it did. Being around her friends spurned her on. “I’m not very good at it either. I’m not good at negotiations and making deals,” she confessed. She moved some carrots around on her plate.

 

“You don’t seem very happy there,” Ezran commented. She snorted.

 

“That’s an understatement,” she bit her lip and looked down. She wasn't particularly proud of how she left. Maybe it was a bit of a rushed decision. But at the same time, she didn’t regret returning to the brothers and trying to talk Callum out of the wedding. “I’m actually thinking about not working there anymore,” she said slowly. Hopefully they wouldn’t respond bad. She kind of already quit after all.

 

“I think you should leave then,” Callum nodded with some confidence. “You shouldn’t stay there if you don’t want to. Especially if you don’t think you are doing a good job.” Rayla sighed a breath of relief. Though his comment also raised a pang of frustration. He was affording her a liberty he wasn’t giving himself. But maybe she could make him realize that.

 

“I think it would be okay. Auntie Amaya talks about elves completely different now. She doesn’t seem to want to fight you guys anymore, just make sure we are safe.” Ezran added. His tone and posture changed to one of serious thoughts. Ezran was switching to king mode, using new skills not normally found in thirteen year olds.

 

The gravity of the situation started to hit her. She was done at the Breach. She didn’t have to go back. She could finally move into the castle with Ezran and Callum. But if Callum did go through with the wedding…

 

She wouldn’t stay. The thought disgusted her. It was like nails on a chalkboard, she couldn’t stand it. She would leave, go back to Xadia.

 

“Yeah, I don’t think I need to go back there,” she admitted almost sheepishly.

 

“Does that mean you can finally come stay with us!” Ezran was really excited about the prospect. Callum seemed more reserved though.

 

“I suppose it does,” she said. Callum slumped back in his chair.

 

“I wish you could have come here sooner, before I was about to get married,” he grumbled. Both sets of eyes fell on him. Ezran had a coy smile and Rayla blushed a bit, trying to figure out his words.

 

“Why would that be?” Ezran asked in a teasing tone. Rayla looked at him out of the corner of his eye. The kid was being too blunt about all of this.

 

“Uh, well, I guess… It’s not like…“ Callum flustered at his brother's unspoken accusation. Notably, he didn’t look at Rayla. “I don’t think I’ll be able to spend as much time with her. Once Awsta gets here, I’ll probably have to spend most of my time with her. You know?”

 

“And is Awsta the one you are supposed to marry?” She tried not to sneer at the thought.

 

“Uh, yeah. Actually, I think she is supposed to be here in a few weeks,” Callum began to muse.

 

“And when is the last time you saw her?” Rayla rolled her eyes.

 

“It was after the great harvest, so maybe… eleven or twelve years?” Callum tried to do the math in his head. “Ezran was essentially a baby.” He looked at his little brother, who just shrugged.

 

“I don’t remember her or any of that,” he said as he went for a jelly tart. Rayla was too annoyed by the arranged marriage to care about diets anymore.

 

“And you two fell in love when you were eight, did you?” Callum would have been eight years old twelve years ago. Eight. How could he possibly know that she would be a good match for him? They were basically just relying on luck at that point.

 

“You learn to love them after you marry. That’s just how we do things,” Callum explained. His voice was patient but she could hear some annoyance peek through.

 

“You can’t learn to love something. That’s stupid.”

 

“Rayla,” Callum sighed. “Isn’t this exactly the conversation we had when we were returning Zym?”

 

“Maybe, but I think it bears repeating. You can’t learn to love someone. Either you can love them or you can’t.”

 

“Well, maybe humans can learn to love.”

 

“That’s just not how love works. Is that why your parents married? Because somebody else thought it would look good?”

 

“Yes!” Callum proclaimed, which threw Rayla. She thought that their parents actually liked each other. “Harrow was considered a soft king, his advisors were worried that others would think he was weak. My mom was a high ranking general and a feared warrior, so they married to balance things out. And you know what? They learned to love each other.” He slumped back, arms crossed.

 

“And you think it will work out as well with this Awsta?” Rayla’s voice was harsh. She didn’t realize the tension got so high.

 

“Yes, yes I do. Rayla, why are you being like this? I thought you came here to support me?” He snapped and glared at her. Ezran quietly slunk down into his chair.

 

“I just don’t understand why you are doing this. Why let them marry you off like this?”

 

“Because that’s how this works. It’s expected of me. It’s always been expected of me. If I don’t, the other kingdoms will get upset. My own kingdom will get upset.”

 

“The other kingdoms won’t attack. Your advisors aren’t going to fire you from being a prince. There might be some smoke, but nothing bad would happen,” Rayla countered. She glared. Callum glared. No one said anything. “Is there another reason why you are going along with this?” Ezran squirmed more and she noticed that he looked terribly guilty. As though he was the one forcing Callum into it.

 

“I _need_ to do it for my family Rayla. Maybe you don’t understand because you don’t have one, but I do,” Callum stood and legitimately yelled. His stare was hard and dark, his chest heaved with huffs of air. He was angry. Truly angry. “I hoped that you could be here for me during this _happy_ time.” Ezran looked like a mix of terrified and ashamed. He was so happy to have Rayla back, this was probably not how he wanted to spend time with her. Callum was still staring her down, daring her to say something else.

 

“I’m here, aren’t I?” She sighed and tried to smother the rage and pain from the argument. She considered them to be her family, and she was doing this for them. But Callum didn’t realize it yet. She hoped that one day he would appreciate it. Maybe even if just when miserably married to Awsta, he could look back and think ‘ _she tried to save me_ ’.

 

“Yeah. And I’m happy that you are here,” Callum deflated. He didn’t sit back down though. “I’m going to bed,” he grumbled and shuffled out of the room. Rayla looked back at her now empty plate.

 

“I’m going to go to bed too. You’ll be fine getting to you room, right Rayla?” Ezran’s tiny voice asked.

 

“Yeah. I’ll be fine,” she assured him before slumping forward. She needed a better approach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, another chapter up. Let me know what you think. Also, there was some unpleasantness with Discord, so if anyone from the Rayllum server can include a new invite I would appreciate it.


	4. Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I think you just have a new crush," Claudia's teasing voice was quiet. Rayla was still able to hear it perfectly over the grunts and clinks of battle.
> 
> "I'm getting married in a few months. I can't be thinking that way," Callum sighed. His voice was heavy, as though he was reminding himself. And, notably, he didn't deny it.

Rayla didn't sleep well that night. The fight had left her uneasy and upset. She spent the night tossing and turning, switching between frustration and fear. Fear of what would happen if she failed. Her having to watch Callum trapped in a miserable marriage. When the sun finally came up she gave up on sleeping and got up.

 

She had to change her tactics. Callum clearly wasn't happy with the wedding, but he was being stubborn. He wasn't going to listen to reason. Rayla found that when people got that way at the Breach, she had to  _ show _ them reason. Guide them to let them come to the conclusion on their own. And that was what she was going to do with Callum. She was going to have to show Callum what love was, and how much he didn't love Awsta.

 

As she got up and ready she had to appreciate the room. It was large enough to stretch comfortably and do some basic morning exercises. And it had a bathroom to wash up in afterwards. All the while she kept an ear out for Callum waking across the hallway.

 

She learned a few things working at the Breach. More than a few, actually. The guards and servants distrusted her, and when people distrusted you they would invent stories about you. It would be best and easiest to just not give them the opportunity, and stick with Callum or Ezran when in public.

 

So Rayla stayed patiently in her room until well after the sun rose. It wasn't until almost nine that she heard the lazy prince rouse. Even then it took twenty minutes until she heard his door open.

 

She confidently strode out of her room. Callum jumped, having been staring at her door.

 

"Oh, Rayla, you're up. Uh, good morning," he stumbled over his words. He was back to his old self and evidently not mad. She was ready to apologize for their fight. She hadn’t changed her mind about arranged marriages, but she did regret her approach. 

 

"I'm sorry," his words took her off guard and her own words left her. "You're right. I'm not super excited about this. But it's part of my job. Soldiers fight and die in battle to keep everyone safe. Farmers work hard every day to grow food for everyone. And I'm here, safe and well fed. It's the least I can do, to make their lives easier. To help negotiate and make peace," he seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as her. "But I'm sorry. For last night. I shouldn't have said those things."

 

"Yeah, you shouldn't of. But I forgive you. And I'm sorry too. I still don't get why you're doing this but I shouldn't have been mean about it." There was an uneasy moment, as if they were uncertain that they were really forgiven.

 

"So, friends again?" Callum eventually asked.

 

"Yeah you dummy. Friends," she gave him a gentle shove and he smiled.

 

"Good. I could hardly sleep last night, I felt so bad. Really, I'm sorry about that thing I said. About your family," he said. He really did look ashamed and Rayla was sure he was. He was sweet, though his words last night did hurt.

 

"I ought to make you do the jerk face dance," Rayla teased.

 

"Please don't," panic flooded his eyes.

 

"I'll let you off easy this time," she nodded. "Hey Callum," her voice softened. She had one more thing to say on the topic. "I know that I don't have much of a family left. I don't know where my parents are, and Runaan is gone." Callum looked ready to interject, but she raised a hand to stop him. "But I think of you and Ezran as family. That's why I'm here." She didn't really know what to expect from Callum. But she didn't expect the giant bear hug from the prince.

 

"I'm so glad to hear that Rayla. You know that we think of you the same way. You're always welcome, no matter what stupid, jerk stuff I say," his words spilled out of his mouth. He really was a sap. Rayla happily returned the hug. 

 

"Alright, alright, you big softy," she pulled out of the hug but was still smiling. "Now, why don't you show me around the palace. You always told me stories about it."

 

"Oh yeah, there's tons of stuff to show you," he grabbed her hand and together they were off.

 

……...

 

"And this is the garden. It's where we do our training," Callum opened a pair of double doors to outside world. It was simple, with a sizeable sparring area, dummies, and a landscaped area of bushes and flowers taking up half of it. In a word, underwhelming. He seemed to pick up on her unimpressed look. "Okay, it's not as nice as some gardens in Xadia. But you should see the courtyard in Duren  _ That  _ is impressive."

 

"It's not too bad, for humans," she stepped into the yard. Humans were milling about. Training, talking, eating. Including a couple of familiar faces. Soren was training against some other human, and Claudia watched them with a bored face.

 

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the elf," Soren chanted and buried his sword in the ground. "I thought you went back to Xadia."

 

"I've been keeping the peace at the border. What have  _ you  _ been doing?" She scoffed at the dim witted blonde.

 

"Stuff! Important stuff. Like protecting the king. From people like you," his eyes narrowed at the elf. Rayla rolled her eyes but decided to suppress any violent urges.

 

"Hey, Rayla's a friend. She's not going to hurt anyone," Callum stepped in to defend her. Rayla didn't fight the smirk. Soren frowned.

 

"Good. Because if she didn't, I'd have to whoop her ass again," Soren taunted.  _ That _ got a rise out of the Moonshadow.

 

"Excuse me? You've  _ never  _ beaten me in a fight," she jabbed a finger at him.

 

"That's not how I remember it," he gloated unjustly.

 

"I'm not surprised, with that tiny brain of yours. We've always gotten interrupted. I never had a chance to finish you off."

 

"Well then let's settle this, right here and now," he pulled out his sword and pointed it at her. She paused, considering it, and then flicked out her own weapons.

 

"Alright, you're on."

 

"Uh, are you sure you want to do this?" Callum asked with trepidation.

 

"Yes," the two fighters called in unison. And that's all they needed to make it official. They circled each other, looking for an opening.

 

"Scared, elf," Soren asked as he took the first offensive. It was a jab that Rayla easily dodged and parried. She opted not to draw blood, but instead hit him hard with the butt of her sword. Soren grunted and staggered away.

 

"Not at all. But you should be," she bragged. He scowled and lunged at her once again. This time he did a fake out attack and was able to knock her to the ground. She rolled out of the way of further attacks, but was left somewhat disoriented.

 

The fight continued with both landing good hits. A small crowd began to form, watching the pair with curiosity.

 

"Come on Soren, kick her butt!" Claudia cheered. I few other onlookers whooped with her. Rayla became acutely aware of how unwelcome she was.

 

"Get him Rayla," Callum's voice called out. Her ears twitched and a small blush spread across her face. It was enough of a distraction for Soren to land another hit.

 

"Callum! Why aren't you cheering for Soren?" Claudia chastised.

 

"What? She's my friend too. Besides, her fighting style is cooler. Just look at those swords," Callum defended his side.

 

"Guys, can you  _ please _ stop talking? It's distracting," Soren paused the fight to glare at the two.

 

"He's right you know. We don't need you two yelling on the sidelines," Rayla joined in. She got two new bruises she could blame Callum for.

 

"Sorry! I didn't realize," Callum was quick to apologize.

 

"Don't be such a sour puss," Claudia was less quick to apologize.

 

"You guys are making my self conscious," Soren pouted and looked down at his sword. "My sword is cool too." Rayla scoffed. She took an odd delight in Callum liking her weapons over his.

 

"Oh shut up you," Soren raised his sword again and charged at the elf. With that they were back into the fight. Callum and Claudia ceased their cheering, but continued to mutter between themselves. It was quiet, but Rayla's keen ears picked it up nonetheless.

 

"I think you just have a new crush," Claudia's teasing voice was quiet. Rayla was still able to hear it perfectly over the grunts and clinks of battle.

 

"I'm getting married in a few months. I can't be thinking that way," Callum sighed. His voice was heavy, as though he was reminding himself. And, notably, he didn't deny it. 

 

Rayla's heart sped up. She gritted her teeth as frustration hit her. Did he feel the same way about her? And he was still going to marry some random girl? They could have a life together, if only Callum wasn't so bone headed.

 

The anger fueled her. She pressed forward and swung at Soren. She took out her frustrations on the blonde and went on the offensive. Soon he found himself overwhelmed. He stumbled and fell back. Rayla kicked his sword away and pointed a blade at his face. She won.

 

The crowd around them murmured, not happy that their star was bested. But then Callum started to clap.

 

"I knew you could do it. I just needed to stop distracting you," Callum bounded up to her, grinning. 

 

"She just got lucky is all. My wrist was sore," Soren grumbled.

 

"You keep telling yourself that," Rayla gloated.

 

"Come on Soren. It wasn't a fair fight. She had two swords. Two!" Claudia coaxed her brother away. Rayla shot one last smirk at Soren before wandering away with Callum.

 

"Only took so long because I was out of practice," though truthfully Soren was an impressive opponent. "What about you? Have you been learning more magic?" She was genuinely curious. Judging by the glimmer in Callum's eyes, he had been.

 

"Yes! But not here," he looked around the courtyard before leading her to a gate and away from the castle.

 

……….

 

They followed a road. Briefly. Then Callum veered off it. 

 

"Where are we going?" Rayla asked as they weaved through the trees and bushes.

 

"You'll see. They don't like me practicing magic around the castle. Too many, uh, accidents," Callum explained. Rayla snickered.

 

"I've seen people trying to learn new spells. I wouldn't want that around my home either."

 

"Yeah, things got… zappy. But that's why I practice here now," he pushed through the last of the bushes and out onto the bank of a lake.

 

Looking out over the lake he drew a rune and muttered some dragonic. Then he waved his arms and blades of wind began cutting across the lake. They actually made it pretty far before dispersing.

 

"Oh, and there's this one," he did another spell that caused mist to rise out of the water and into the sky, forming a cloud. He could even control it's direction. 

 

"Ooh, you can make it humid. My lungs really needed that," Rayla said, coughing a bit at the suddenly think air. Callum flashed her a proud smile and continued to show off spells. Not only casting them, but his experience in controlling them afterwards. He had become an impressive mage. 

 

"I also like to come out here to think. It's peaceful," he admitted. "Though not as beautiful as Xadia," he commented, giving her a sideways stare. A smile tugged on his lips and she felt like there were more to his words. His eyes were smouldering and the air felt thick again, though for an entirely different reason.

 

"I've come to like the pentarchy," Rayla admitted with a coy smile of her own. "Didn't think I would have, but then I met you…" She trailed off. Callum seemed flustered for a moment.

 

"Wait, really? So you wouldn't mind, uh, staying in the pentarchy? You wouldn't want to go back to Xadia and find an elf to settle down with?" His eyebrows shot up and he swallowed hard. Rayla smirked.

 

"What can I say? The land of humans has grown on me," she smiled at his reaction. "What about you? Would you, uh, prefer Xadia over here?"

 

"Well, yeah, I guess," he fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "Of course, Xadia is so much more beautiful. But I can't leave the pentarchy, you know that," he looked down, wringing his hands.

 

"You could though. Ezran is king. And you could strengthen ties to Xadia," she grabbed his hand, trying to make him see.

 

"I just… I don't think it's an option for me. Ezran is king but I'm still an important figure." He sighed. Rayla fought back the urge to press him. She didn't want to start another fight.

 

"You deserve to be happy Callum, no matter what," she said. They shared a moment of soft silence.

 

"Oh, there's another spell I want to show you," he said with a mischievous smile. Before Rayla could call him on it he cast the spell. The air grew thick with humidity again and another cloud formed. This one was a dark gray that swirled with wet. Then, it was above her, dumping a deluge of water.

 

"Callum, eh!" It was all she could manage as heavy rain pelted her, and just her. Within a minute it was gone, likely because Callum was laughing too hard to keep the spell. Rayla was less amused. And sopping wet.

 

"Oh, you are going to get it now," she gave chase to the mage. Callum squeaked and ran. He was able to slow her down with an aspiro and ducked into the trees. He was easy to track though because he still couldn't stop laughing. Rayla also had humor heavy in her voice. "Just wait until I get my hands on you, loud mage." He cast another spell that caused a mist to coat the forest.

 

"You know my hearing's better than yours, right? You're just making this harder for you," she teased. She heard footsteps behind her and dove. She leaned on the prince, pinning him to the ground.

 

"Ack, Rayla, you're getting me wet."

 

"Oh,  _ I'm _ getting  _ you  _ wet?" She slumped onto his body, letting her wet clothes soak into his.

 

"Okay, okay, you win," Callum went still under her. She ruffled his hair for good measure. 

 

"Damn straight. But I'm still soaking wet because of you," she worked the wet weather belts on her armor, trying to get it off. Wet armor was the worst.

 

"I'm pretty bad too. Though not as bad as you," he snickered and she rolled her eyes. "Let's build a fire, to help dry off and warm up." He suggested.

 

"Do you still remember how to build a fire?" She mused. When they first met the boy was useless with anything camping related.

 

"Of course!" He defended himself as he gathered kindling. "This'll be fun, like old times," he seemed genuinely excited. It was nice, just the two of them alone in the woods. No one to judge or pry or tear them apart.

 

"It will be nice to get away from all those humans." she gripped as she peeled off her armor. It hit the ground with a thud and some trapped water sloshed free. Callum did get her good.

 

"Hey, some of those humans are-" he started a rebuke but it turned into a sputtering mess as soon as he turned around and looked at her. His mouth clamped shut and a blush filled his cheeks. He tugged the kindling tightly to his chest.

 

Now that Rayla thought about it, her attire was a bit… revealing. She wore a plain white tank top under her armor. But thanks to the water it was completely wet. It hugged her body and was easy to see through, doing very little for modesty. Suddenly she had to blush too. But Callum's reaction to her was too sweet to cover up. Besides, she didn't have anything and they needed to dry off.

 

"You say that you remember how to make a fire, but you're not making a fire," she said as she sat back. His eyes were locked into hers. Mostly. Every few seconds they darted down. He swallowed and dropped the kindling at a good spot for a fire.

 

"Yeah, I do, it's just…" He shot her another look. Suddenly he was coy and mischievous again. "I should take off my shirt too. It's also pretty wet," he suggested. Quickly he removed the garment, revealing his pale flesh underneath. His broad chest glistened with the remaining water for all the world to see.

 

Rayla smirked, enjoying the moment. More than just the sudden sexual tension, it was fun and intimate. They were together again, just them, having fun and enjoying each other's company. She kneeled down and finished making the fire. With a strike of flint some dried leaves caught. She breathed gently on it, coaxing the flame to grow and spread.

 

Callum plopped down next to her. Evidently he was getting more comfortable with her revealing top. He sighed and watched the fire.

 

"What's got you down, sad prince?" She asked, picking up on his mood. He frowned.

 

"I really like spending time with you," he said with a heavy tone. He rested his hand in his face.

 

"And that's a bad thing?" She teased, trying to lighten the mood again.

 

"No, it's not. Well, kinda. Awsta is going to be here in a few weeks."

 

"And what does she have to do with us?"

 

"Nothing! You're just a friend is all." He continued to babble. Rayla sighed. She knew what he was getting at. But she wanted him to admit it.

 

"So then why is it a problem?"

 

"Because it just is," he snapped. "I was being silly about this fire. Let's put it out and go back to the castle to dry off. I should probably meet with Opeli about the wedding," he said as he stood. Rayla deflated but tried not to let on. She pushed him too much again.She was really enjoying their time together. But that was the problem to him. She tried not to sneer at the thought. Callum kicked dirt into the fire, smothering the new flames

 

"Come on. You can have my jacket if you want," he offered her his blue jacket to cover up her still very wet top. She shook her head.

 

"I'll just crawl back into this thing," she grumbled as she pulled her top back on. Callum was already clothed and walking back to the road. Rayla tried not to be bitter, but it was obvious. They could not be 'just friends’.

 

**Author's Note:**

> The people in TDP seem to be very progressive by our standards, since we see things like gay couples, interracial couples, and Callum having a loving step father. But one thing stuck out to me. Ezran is king, while Callum was completely passed over despite being older.
> 
> It maybe, even though Harrow loved him like a son, the kingdom didn't really accept him as his real son. Meaning your biological parents matter.
> 
> Following this logic, it brings up the question of Aanya. We don't know who exactly hey biological parents are, or how she came to be. But if biology matters, maybe a lot of her kingdom doesn't consider her a true heir. She said that she faced many assassination attempts, that might be why.
> 
> Extrapolating a bit, I picture her mother's to have married for love. But without the possibility of a biological heir the people revolted. This caused the famines that lead them to go to Harrow. They died in the mission and Aanya, the only thing close to an heir took over. But the people were unsettled by it and the civil unrest grew.
> 
> Katolis fears a similar issue, which is why Callum isn't an heir and Ezran absolutely must produce a biological heir. This means it must be the biological child of him his his spouse.
> 
> Also, a thanks to Porscheczar110 for beta reading this chapter.


End file.
